The present invention relates to a single-use camera wherein a film cartridge is loaded and a photographic film in the cartridge is taken up to be wound around a film-winding member in the camera in advance when the camera is manufactured, and the film is rewound in the cartridge after each photographing so that the exposed film can be taken out of the camera together with the cartridge.
As is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 75336/1994 (hereinafter referred to as Japanese Patent O.P.I Publication), in some film cartridges, a light-shielding cover is provided in place of a light-shielding member such as a velvet in order to improve light-shielding capability, the light-shielding cover is opened to make a film path to be a through one, and a film-winding spool in the film cartridge is rotated in the direction for feeding a photographic film out so that the film may be fed out through the film path of the film cartridge.
In the case of a camera wherein a film cartridge is loaded, when the camera is equipped with a motor, it is possible to close a light-shielding cover after completion of photographing by driving the motor, as disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 82972/1994.
However, in the case of an inexpensive single-use camera, no motor is used. Therefore, when a film cartridge is used, and when the film cartridge is taken out while a light-shielding cover thereon is opened in a photofinishing laboratory, a photographic film is fogged. So, it is not possible to take a film out in a daylight room, which is different from the way in the past, and darkroom unloading is required.
Therefore, the preferable is the constitution wherein a light-shielding cover is closed automatically after completion of photographing, and inventors of the invention accomplished an example wherein a detecting member which detects the last end of a film is provided, and an opened light-shielding cover is closed automatically by the detection of the detecting member.
In the case of the foregoing, the light-shielding cover is closed simultaneously with detection of the last end of a film. At this moment, however, the last end of a film is not usually wound in a cartridge, and there is a possibility that the film is wound in a cartridge with its last end sandwiched by the light-shielding cover. Therefore, there is a fear that a film is scratched, or the light-shielding cover is subjected to irregular force, resulting in deterioration of light-shielding capability.
Therefore, the inventors of the invention accomplished another example wherein a film-winding knob makes the predetermined number of turns after the detection of the last end of a film, and thereby a light-shielding cover is closed after the film has been wound in a cartridge.